HR Technology: Why Mobile-Centric Solutions Are the Answer

By Stewart Gott

In the past few years, mobile capabilities have moved from the “want” to the “must have” list for companies. In fact, businesses are thriving and operating with a higher level of productivity by evolving their processes from traditionally-focused to mobile-centric. 

Companies and HR must either invest in ways to increase their mobile technology usage or get left far behind their competition in the quest to fill their open positions.

Why HR Must Focus on Mobile Solutions

There are several reasons for HR professionals to proactively strategize ways to implement mobile technology into the hiring and recruiting process.  Here are four of the big advantages mobile technology solutions offer HR. 

Enhanced Data-Driven Decisions. Mobile technology provides extensive information about the user and the process itself. This is important because data is being increasingly used to make business decisions. Using data metrics in recruiting and hiring empower HR to make decisions that are logical, fair, and lack bias. One way to use this is for mobile technology to log how each candidate performs at each stage of the hiring process. For example, if a large percentage of a gender or race fall out of the process at an early stage, the hiring manager might need additional diversity training. Data helps spot issues in the hiring process that would have taken much longer to uncover otherwise. 

Expanded Applicant Experience. In a recent survey of job seekers, 59% of the applicants reported looking for a job via a mobile device, and 52% applied on their mobile device. Clunky mobile processes will frustrate and turn off these potential great hires, which can damage your company’s growth. With the increase in work-from-home positions, applicants are accustomed to performing all types of functions from their mobile devices. Basically, companies must “go where the people are” to maintain a highly-functioning hiring channel. By streamlining ease of use and strategically broadening the communication avenues into mobile, businesses help make the candidate comfortable and confident from the beginning. Users can access the information when and where they want from the device they like to use.  

Heightened Responsiveness. Mobile solutions are faster than their traditional counterparts, providing much-needed progress during the hiring process. Hiring managers can post jobs, answer questions, and field issues from their mobile device to the applicant’s. Instead of waiting hours, or the better part of a day, for recruiters to get back with them, job seekers can gain the information they need in minutes. In addition, applicants are able to drive their own job search by filling out applications and completing background check forms on their own, instead of waiting for a data entry person to do it for them. This streamlines the entire process and helps them move through to the decision stage quickly and with less headaches. 

Greater Transparency and Authenticity. Building a healthy, diverse workforce hinges on a company’s ability to be authentic, and this begins during the recruiting process. Using mobile technology provides a unique way for an organization’s culture, causes, and core values to be on display from day one. Encouraging conversations through applications and texting, for example, give applicants a chance to get a granular view of what it would be like to work for the company. Mobile technology is a tool that can help make great strides in sharing a business’s true personality and perspective. 

Mobile solutions in recruiting and hiring are must-haves, and they will only gain importance in the coming years. Companies that lag behind with mobile technology will be invisible, or unattractive, to the best-quality job candidates, especially Millennials. Executing robust mobile application experiences sets the stage for sharing the company culture and brand transparently, connecting responsively with potential job seekers, and creating a positive candidate experience.